Structuring of Temporary Systems

ABSTRACT

A method for structuring a temporary system includes receiving information obtained by interrogating a tag on an article and establishing a relationship between the article and one or more other articles in the temporary system based at least in part upon the information obtained by interrogating the tag. The information obtained by interrogating the tag regards the article.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefits of thepriorities under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of, U.S. application Ser. No.10/306,892, filed Nov. 27, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,619 and U.S.application Ser. No. 11/612,420, filed Dec. 18, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No.______, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to structuring temporary systems.

The tagging of articles with computer-readable identifiers andinformation has provided great improvements in areas such as supplychain management, asset tracking and management, security and accesscontrol, transportation, toll collection, baggage handling, inventorycontrol and management, healthcare, and consumer services. For example,bar codes can be used to track the storage and movement of objectsranging from foodstuffs to coupons. Radio frequency identification(“RFID”) tags can be used to track individuals as they access restrictedlocations and services. Smart cards can be used to store insuranceinformation, medical records, and phone accounts. Examples ofcomputer-readable tags include active and passive RFID tags, integratedcircuit (“IC”) microprocessor cards and memory cards, optical memorycards, barcodes, tags, and smart cards.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides method and apparatus, includingcomputer-program products, for structuring temporary systems. Temporarysystems are collections of articles that are assembled for a specific,relatively short-term project. Articles are physical incarnations thatare amenable to being tagged with a unique, computer-readableidentifier. The articles in a temporary system can be owned and/oroperated by distinct groups, such as distinct companies or distinctnations. Information regarding the articles can be stored on thearticles themselves using tags. The stored information can include,e.g., information uniquely identifying the article, operationalinformation regarding the operation of the article, and maintenanceinformation regarding the maintenance of the article.

Structuring a system includes the characterization of relationshipsbetween the articles in the system. Examples of relationships betweenarticles include hierarchical component/subcomponent relationships,positional relationships, functional relationships, equivalencyrelationships, other hierarchical relationships, temporal relationships,and process or data stream relationships.

Temporary systems can be rapidly structured by, e.g., automaticallystructuring the temporary system, structuring the system “on the fly” asarticles (and the corresponding operational information) are received,and/or only reading a portion of the information from each tag.

In one aspect the invention includes a method for structuring temporarysystems. The method can include receiving information obtained byinterrogating a tag on an article and establishing a relationshipbetween the article and one or more other articles in the temporarysystem based at least in part upon the characteristic obtained byinterrogating the tag. The received information includes at least onecharacteristic and other data regarding the article.

Aspects of the invention can include one or more of the followingfeatures. Receiving the information can include receiving a category ofthe article. The relationship can be established, e.g., based at leastin part upon the category of the article. The received information caninclude a unique identification of the article. The relationship can beestablished based solely upon information read by interrogating the tag.

Receiving the information can include receiving operational informationdescribing an operational characteristic of the article. Establishingthe relationship can include establishing the relationship based uponthe operational characteristic of the article. For example, therelationship can be established based upon a supply consumed by thearticle or based upon an output produced by the article. As anotherexample, the relationship can also be established by emulating anotherrelationship between a second article and the one or more otherarticles. The emulated relationship can be, e.g., an operationalrelationship between the second article and the one or more otherarticles. The second article can be equivalent to the article. Forexample, an equivalent second article can be one of a same make as thearticle and a same model as the article. The second article can besimilar to the article. For example, the similar second article canshare operational characteristics with the article.

The relationship between the article and one or more other articles canbe between a first entity's article owned or operated by a first entityand a second entity's article owned or operated by a second entity.

The established relationship can include a similarity relationshipbetween the article and one or more other articles or an equivalencyrelationship between the article and one or more other articles.Establishing the relationship between the article and one or more otherarticles can include receiving functional information regarding thedeployment of the article in the temporary system and establishing afunctional relationship between the article and one or more otherarticles based on the received functional information.

In another aspect the invention includes a computer program product forstructuring a system. The computer program product can be operable tocause a data processing apparatus to receive information regarding afirst article from a tag attached to the first article, establish afirst relationship identifying the common characteristic of the firstarticle and the second article, identify a second relationship involvingthe second article and a third article in the system, and establish athird relationship emulating the second relationship. The informationreceived from the tag can identify the first article as sharing a commoncharacteristic with a second article in the system. The thirdrelationship can involve the first article and the third article. Thecomputer program product can be tangibly embodied in an informationcarrier.

Aspects of the invention can include one or more of the followingfeatures. The product can also cause the data processing apparatus toestablish the first relationship between a first description of thefirst article and a second description of the second article. The firstrelationship can be established between a first data object describingthe first article and a second data object describing the secondarticle.

The product can also cause the data processing apparatus to receiveinformation identifying the first article as equivalent to the secondarticle. For example, the information identifying the first article asequivalent can identify the first article as being one of a same makeand a same model as the second article. The product can be operable tocause the data processing apparatus to receive information identifyingthe first article as sharing a common operational characteristic withthe second article.

The product can also cause the data processing apparatus to establishthe third relationship emulating the second relationship to indicatethat the first article operates jointly with the third article, or toestablish the third relationship emulating the second relationship toindicate that the first article consumes the third article. The thirdrelationship emulating the second relationship can also be establishedto indicate that the first article produces the third article, toindicate that the first article interacts with the third article, or toindicate that the first article interacts mechanically with the thirdarticle.

The product can also cause the data processing apparatus to receiveadditional information regarding the first article from the tag afterthe data processing apparatus has established the third relationship,and establish a fourth relationship involving the first article based onthe received additional information. The product can also cause the dataprocessing apparatus to identify the second relationship involving thesecond article and the third article in a temporary system.

The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the followingadvantages. In some temporary systems, it may be important to structurethe system as rapidly as possible. In cases like these, all of theelectronically-accessible information that is readable from a tag neednot be read. By stopping after only some of the information has beenread, various relationships between the tagged article and otherarticles in the system can be established without the need for anextensive data transfer. This allows articles to be deployed almostimmediately after receipt while structuring at least some of thetemporary system.

Including information regarding the characteristics of an article thatis to be introduced to a temporary system in anelectronically-accessible tag mounted to the article has otheradvantages. For example, the transmission path of the information isguaranteed to follow the path of the tagged article since the tag isattached to the article. This makes it easier to ensure that theinformation is associated with the correct tagged article. Further, theinformation is ensured to arrive at a given interrogator simultaneouslywith the tagged article. This prevents delays where one of theoperational information and the tagged article is received after theother.

The automated description of the additional relationships between thenew article description and article descriptions in the temporary systemalso rapidly structures the temporary system and reduces the need foruser input. Furthermore, automated structuring draws upon the knowledgebase that has already been input into the system, thereby reducing thelikelihood of error and ensuring uniformity in the descriptions ofsystems. Since automated structuring draws upon such an existingknowledge base, automated structuring, in effect, relies uponestablished characterizations of relationships without requiringexplicit expression of the knowledge base rules or relationships by auser.

Moreover, since automated structuring can operate in conjunction withautomated interrogation and data collection, the management of items isgreatly simplified. These automated processes can provide a user such asa company with a relatively complete description of the deployment ofresources in even short-term temporary systems. Describing thedeployment of assets can allow the manager of a temporary system toincrease productivity by providing information about asset allocationand use.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a temporary system assembled for aconstruction project.

FIG. 2 shows how some articles in the temporary system can be taggedwith electronically-accessible tags.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a format for data readable from theelectronically-accessible tags.

FIG. 4 shows an example structuring of a temporary system.

FIG. 5 show a method for the introduction of an object describing a newarticle into a temporary system.

FIGS. 6-7 show one example of how the method of FIG. 5 introduces anobject describing a new article into a temporary system.

FIG. 8 shows a method for the introduction of an object describing a newarticle into a temporary system.

FIGS. 9-11 show one example of how the method of FIG. 8 introduces anobject describing a new article into a temporary system.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an example of a temporary system, namely a constructioncrew 100, that has been assembled to complete a construction project,namely to lay a pipe 105 at a construction site 110. Construction crew100 includes various articles that play roles in the constructionproject. For example, construction crew 100 can include bulldozers 115,120, backhoe 125, forklifts 130, 135, dump truck 140, unlaid pipesegments 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, and flanges 170, 175, 180. Bulldozers115, 120 can cover pipe 105 after it has been laid in a ditch 185.Backhoe 125 can excavate ditch 185. Forklifts 130, 135 can transportunlaid pipe segments (e.g., unlaid pipe segments 160, 165) to ditch 185.Dump truck 140 can remove excess dirt excavated from ditch 185. Flanges170, 175, 180 and unlaid pipe segments 145, 150, 155, 160, 165 can beattached to extend pipe 105.

The roles played by the articles in construction crew 100 can bedescribed using different kinds of relationships between the articles.For example, a positional or geographic relationship between bulldozers115, 120 can describe the common deployment of bulldozers 115, 120 at aparticular location to cover pipe 105. Likewise, a functionalrelationship between forklifts 130, 135 can describe the shareddeployment of forklifts 130, 135 to transport unlaid pipe segments 145,150, 155, 160, 165. As another example, a structural relationship candescribe the mechanical arrangement of flanges 170, 175, 180 and unlaidpipe segments 145, 150, 155, 160, 165 that extends pipe 105. Similarly,an operational relationship between forklifts 130, 135 and unlaid pipesegments 145, 150, 155, 160, 165 can describe the operationalcompatibility of forklifts 130, 135 and unlaid pipe segments 145, 150,155, 160, 165. In particular, such an operational relationship candescribe that forklifts 130, 135 are operable to transport unlaid pipesegments 145, 150, 155, 160, 165.

Each of the articles in the temporary system of construction crew 100can be tagged with an electronically-accessible tag. By way of example,FIG. 2 shows forklift 130 tagged with a tag 205 and unlaid pipe segment160 tagged with a tag 210. Tags 205, 210 are electronically-accessiblein that they store data in a machine-readable format. In particular,tags 205, 210 store a computer-readable globally unique identifier(“GUID”) and a category identifier that identifies the category of thetagged article. One such machine-readable format is the ElectronicProduct Code (“ePC”) of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)AutoID Center. FIG. 3 illustrates the format of the ePC. The EPC is a 96bit electronic product code that includes a header 305, manager bits310, object class bits 315, and an object serial number 320. Managerbits 310 are used by a memory manager to manage memory. Object classbits 315 identify the category of the product described by the ePC andobject serial number 320 uniquely identifies the product described bythe ePC.

Tags such as tags 205, 210 can thus store a category identifier thatidentifies a category of the respective item. Table 1 includes examplecategories for tags such as tags 205, 210. Categories such as “AlphaForklift” can identify, e.g., that the category of the tagged article isa forklift made by company “Alpha” or that the category of the taggedarticle is a forklift of model “Alpha.”

TABLE 1 CATEGORY Alpha Bulldozer Alpha Forklift Baker Forklift BakerBackhoe Charlie Backhoe Pipe Flange

Tags such as tags 205, 210 can be, e.g., active and passive RFID tags,integrated circuit (“IC”) microprocessor cards and memory cards, opticalmemory cards, barcodes, molecular tags, smart cards, or othercomputer-readable storage devices that include information relating tothe identification of various articles. Tags such as tags 205, 210 canalso include a processor to process data.

The data on tags, such as tags 205, 210, is electronically-accessible inthat it can be read and converted into electronic format by a taginterrogator (not shown). Tag interrogators can be any device capable ofreading from a tag (e.g., tags 205, 210) such as, e.g., opticalscanners, transceivers, molecular readers, card readers, card-acceptingdevices, or other devices for reading data. Tag interrogators may alsobe operable to write to a given tag as part of the interrogation. Taginterrogators can include a data processor capable of structuring atemporary system, as discussed further below. Tag interrogators can alsobe interfaced with a computer or other data processing device capable ofstructuring a temporary system.

FIG. 4 shows an example of how an example temporary system 400 thatincludes descriptions of tagged articles (e.g., data objects) can bestructured by describing the relationships between the articles. Thedescriptions of articles in system 400 include bulldozer objects 403,406, 409, backhoe objects 412, 415, forklift objects 418, 421, pipeobjects 424, 427, 430, 433, and flange objects 436, 439, 442. Bulldozerobjects 403, 406 describe bulldozers belonging to a first category“Alpha bulldozer.” Bulldozer object 409 describes a bulldozer belongingto a second category “Baker bulldozer.” Backhoe object 412 describes abackhoe belonging to a first category “Baker backhoe.” Backhoe object415 describes a backhoe belonging to a second category “Charliebackhoe.” Forklift object 418 describes a forklift belonging to a firstcategory “Alpha forklift.” Forklift object 421 describes a forkliftbelonging to a second category “Baker forklift.” Pipe objects 424, 427,430, 433 all describe portions of pipe belonging to a single category,and flange objects 436, 439, 442 all describe flanges belonging to asingle category.

The descriptions of articles in system 400 are structured by describingrelationships between the articles. In particular, an equivalencyrelationship 445 between bulldozer objects 403, 406 indicates that thebulldozers described by bulldozer objects 403, 406 are equivalent onsome level. For example, equivalency relationship 445 can indicate thatthe bulldozers described by bulldozer objects 403, 406 are of the samemake or model, or that the bulldozers described by bulldozer objects403, 406 are operationally interchangeable.

Equivalency relationships 448, 451, 454 indicate that the individualpieces of pipe described by pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433 areequivalent on some level, and equivalency relationships 457, 460indicate that the individual flanges described by flange objects 436,439, 442 are equivalent on some level. For example, equivalencyrelationships 448, 451, 454, 457, 460 can indicate that the relateditems are of the same make or model, or that the related items areoperationally interchangeable.

A functional relationship 463 between bulldozer objects 403, 406indicates that the bulldozers described by bulldozer objects 403, 406share a common functional deployment in system 400. For example, thebulldozers described by bulldozer objects 403, 406 can be commonlydeployed to cover a piece of pipe. Functional relationships 466, 469between bulldozer object 409 and backhoe objects 412, 415 indicate thatthe bulldozer and backhoes described by objects 409, 412, 415 share acommon functional deployment in system 400.

A similarity relationship 472 between bulldozer object 403 and bulldozerobject 409 indicates that the bulldozers described by bulldozer objects403, 409 share common characteristics but are not equivalent. Forexample, the bulldozer described by bulldozer object 403 may be adifferent make or model from the bulldozer described by bulldozer object409 or may have slightly different operational capabilities. Similarly,a similarity relationship 475 exists between the bulldozers described bybulldozer objects 406, 409, a similarity relationship 478 exists betweenthe backhoes described by backhoe objects 412, 415, and a similarityrelationship 481 exists between the forklifts described by forkliftobjects 418, 421. The common characteristics indicated by similarityrelationships 472, 475, 478, 481 can be, e.g., shared operationalcapabilities.

Operational relationships 484 between forklift objects 418, 421 and pipeobjects 424, 427, 430, 433 indicate that the forklifts described byforklift objects 418, 421 can operate jointly with the portions of pipedescribed by pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433. For example, operationalrelationships 484 can indicate that the forklifts described by forkliftobjects 418, 421 can safely transport the portions of pipe described bypipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433. Other operational relationships canindicate other operational features. For example, an operationalrelationship can indicate that one article is a workpiece of anotherarticle, that one article is consumed by another article, or that onearticle is produced and output by another article.

Structural relationships 487 between pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433 andflange objects 436, 439, 442 indicate that the sections of pipedescribed by pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433 can structurally interactwith the flanges described by flange objects 436, 439, 442. For example,structural relationships 487 can indicate that the sections of pipedescribed by pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433 can be mechanically joinedby the flanges described by flange objects 436, 439, 442 to form alonger pipe (not shown). Other structural relationships can indicateother structural interactions between articles. For example, structuralrelationships can indicate potential or extant mechanical interactions,chemical interactions, or electrical interactions between articles in atemporary system. Structural relationships can also identifyhierarchical relationships between articles in a temporary system.

A positional relationship 490 between bulldozer objects 403, 406indicates that the bulldozers described by bulldozer objects 403, 406are located at a same position. For example, the bulldozers described bybulldozer objects 403, 406 may be deployed at the same location to covera piece of pipe. Other positional relationships may indicate, e.g., therelative location of an article in a manufacturing or assembly line, orin a process flow.

A system relationship 493, shown for the sake of clarity as a dashedbox, indicates that bulldozer objects 403, 406, 409, backhoe objects412, 415, forklift objects 418, 421, pipe objects 424, 427, 430, 433,and flange objects 436, 439, 442 all play roles in the project addressedby temporary system 400. Other system relationships may indicate, e.g.,that articles are components of a more complex article or members of asubsystem within temporary system 400.

None of the articles described by bulldozer objects 403, 406, 409,backhoe objects 412, 415, forklift objects 418, 421, pipe objects 424,427, 430, 433, and flange objects 436, 439, 442 need be owned oroperated by a single entity. For example, the bulldozer described bybulldozer object 403 can be owned and operated by a first company, whilethe bulldozer described by bulldozer object 406 can be owned andoperated by a second company. However, the bulldozer articles can beincorporated into temporary system 400 by establishing systemrelationship 493 and other relationships. Articles can also be owned oroperated by different individuals, governmental agencies, or even nationstates and still incorporated into system 400. For example, militaryequipment deployed by several nations for a military operation can beincorporated into temporary system by establishing relationships amongstthe articles of military equipment.

FIG. 5 shows a method 500 for introducing an object describing a new,tagged article into a temporary system such as system 400. Method 500can be performed, e.g., by a tag interrogator or other data processingsystem that receives information from an electronically-accessible tagmounted to the new article to be introduced into the temporary system.

The data processing system performing method 500 first receives aninterrogation trigger indicating that data is to be read from theelectronically-accessible tag mounted to the new article (step 505). Thetrigger can be generated manually by a human user or the trigger can begenerated automatically, for example, when the tag interrogatoridentifies the presence of the tag. For example, a user can trigger theinterrogation of a tag when the tagged article arrives at a particularlocation such as construction site 110.

The data processing system performing method 500 then receivesinformation identifying the new article from the triggered interrogation(step 510). The identification information can be, e.g., a GUID assignedto the article and readable from the tag. The GUID can be used by thesystem to establish that the identified article is new to the temporarysystem. Upon receipt of the information identifying the new article, thesystem performing method 500 can create a new article description (e.g.,a new data object) specifically for the new article (step 515). The newarticle description can be populated with data read from the tag orretrieved from a separate database, as appropriate.

The data processing system can also receive operational informationregarding the operational characteristics of the new article (step 520).Operational information can be received, e.g., as a description of thecategory of the item or as additional electronically-accessibleinformation on the tag. Alternatively, the received new itemidentification can be used to retrieve operational information regardingthe new article from a separate database.

Using the received operational information, the system performing method500 can establish one or more operational relationships between the newarticle description and other article descriptions in a temporary system(step 525). The operational and other relationships can be established,e.g., using approaches such as populating relationship fields in tables,creating pointers or other links between data objects, and populatingrelationship tables that describe the relationships between articles ina temporary system.

In some temporary systems, it may be important to structure the systemas rapidly as possible. In cases like these, the operational informationcan be read directly from the electronically-accessible tag mounted tothe new article, and method 500 can stop. By stopping after onlyoperational information has been received, various relationships betweenthe tagged article and other articles in the system can be establishedwithout the need for an extensive data transfer. This allows articles tobe deployed almost immediately after receipt while providing at leastlimited structuring to the temporary system.

The data processing system performing method 500 can also receivestructural information regarding the structural characteristics of thenew article (step 530). Structural information can be received, e.g., asa description of the category of the item or as additionalelectronically-accessible information on the tag. Alternatively, thereceived new item identification can be used to retrieve structuralinformation regarding the new article from a separate database.

Using the received structural information, the system performing method500 can establish one or more structural relationships between the newarticle description and other article descriptions in the temporarysystem (step 535). Once again, to minimize the amount and duration ofdata transfer, structural information can be read directly from theelectronically-accessible tag mounted to the new article, and method 500can stop. By stopping after structural information has been received,various relationships between the tagged article and other articles inthe system can be established without the need for an extensive datatransfer.

The data processing system performing method 500 can also receivefunctional information regarding the functional characteristics of thenew article (step 540). Functional information can be received, e.g., aselectronically-accessible information on the tag or from a user whoassigns the new article to a deployment in the temporary system.Alternatively, the received new item identification can be used toretrieve functional information regarding the new article from aseparate database.

Using the received functional information, the system performing method500 can establish one or more functional relationships between the newarticle description and other article descriptions in the temporarysystem (step 545). Once again, to minimize the amount and duration ofdata transfer, functional information can be received and method 500 canstop. By stopping after functional information has been received,various relationships between the tagged article and other articles inthe system can be established without the need for an extensive datatransfer.

The data processing system performing method 500 can also receivepositional information regarding the functional characteristics of thenew article (step 550). Positional information can be received, e.g.,from a user who is assigning the new tagged article to a deploymentposition or deduced from the current position of the tag interrogator.For example, the current position of the tag interrogator can bereceived automatically from a positioning system such as the globalpositioning system (GPS) or by fixing the tag interrogator at a knownlocation.

Using the received positional information, the system performing method500 can establish one or more positional relationships between the newarticle description and other article descriptions in the temporarysystem (step 555). Once again, to minimize the amount and duration ofdata transfer, positional information can be received and method 500 canstop. By stopping after positional information has been received,various relationships between the tagged article and other articles inthe system can be established without the need for an extensive datatransfer.

The data processing system performing method 500 can also receiveequivalency/similarity information regarding the equivalency/similaritycharacteristics of the new article (step 560). Equivalency/similarityinformation can be received, e.g., as a description of the category ofthe item or as additional electronically-accessible information on thetag. Alternatively, the received new item identification can be used toretrieve equivalency/similarity information regarding the new articlefrom a separate database.

Using the received equivalency/similarity information, the systemperforming method 500 can establish one or more functional relationshipsbetween the new article description and other article descriptions inthe temporary system (step 565). Once again, to minimize the amount andduration of data transfer, equivalency/similarity information can beread directly from the electronically-accessible tag mounted to the newarticle, and method 500 can stop. By stopping afterequivalency/similarity information has been received, variousrelationships between the tagged article and other articles in thesystem can be established without the need for an extensive datatransfer.

FIGS. 6-7 show one example of how method 500 introduces an object 605describing a new, tagged article into construction crew 100. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 6, the data processing system performingmethod 500 receives an interrogation trigger and identificationinformation identifying the new article as GUID “033277.” The systemcreates data object 605 that describes the new article. Data object 605can be created within system relationship 493 that describes that dataobject 605 is to be included in construction crew 100.

As shown in FIG. 7, the data processing system can also receive adescription of the category of the new article, namely that the newarticle belongs to category “Alpha backhoe.” Such category informationcan act as similarity information for use in establishing similarityrelationships with other descriptions of objects in construction crew100. For example, the category information can be used to establishsimilarity relationships 705, 710 that indicate that the backhoedescribed by data object 605 is similar to the backhoes described bybackhoe objects 412, 415. In particular, similarity relationships 705,710 can indicate that the backhoe described by data object 605 sharescommon operational characteristics with but is not equivalent to thebackhoes described by backhoe objects 412, 415.

FIG. 8 shows a method 800 for introducing an object describing a new,tagged article into a temporary system. In particular, method 800 isdirected to the rapid and automated establishment of operational,structural, functional, and other relationships. Method 800 can beperformed, e.g., by a tag interrogator or other data processing systemthat receives information from an electronically-accessible tag mountedto the new article to be introduced into the temporary system.

The data processing system performing method 800 first receives aninterrogation trigger indicating that data is to be read from theelectronically-accessible tag mounted to the new article (step 805). Thedata processing system performing method 800 then receives informationidentifying the new article from the triggered interrogation (step 810).The identification information can be, e.g., a GUID assigned to thearticle and readable from the tag. Upon receipt of the informationidentifying the new article, the system performing method 800 can createa new article description (e.g., a new data object) specifically for thenew article (step 815).

The data processing system performing method 800 can also receiveequivalency/similarity information regarding the equivalency/similaritycharacteristics of the new article (step 820). Equivalency/similarityinformation can be received, e.g., as a description of the category ofthe item or as additional electronically-accessible information on thetag. Alternatively, the received new item identification can be used toretrieve equivalency/similarity information regarding the new articlefrom a separate database. Using the received equivalency/similarityinformation, the system performing method 800 can then establish one ormore equivalency/similarity relationships between the new articledescription and equivalent or similar article descriptions (step 825).

The system performing method 800 can also identify relationships betweenthe equivalent or similar article descriptions and still other articledescriptions in the temporary system that can be emulated (step 830).Relationships that can be emulated are those that can used by the systemperforming method 800 to describe additional relationships between thenew article description and other article descriptions in the temporarysystem. For example, an operational relationship that indicates that onearticle in the temporary system can work jointly with the equivalent orsimilar article can be emulated. As another example, an operationalrelationship that describes that one article in the temporary system isa workpiece of the equivalent or similar article can be emulated. Asanother example, an operational relationship that describes that onearticle in the temporary system is consumed by the equivalent or similararticle can be emulated. As yet another example, an operationalrelationship that describes that one article in the temporary system isproduced by the equivalent or similar article can be emulated.

The system performing method 800 can then emulate the identifiedrelationships (step 835). Emulating the identified relationshipsinvolves establishing a relationship between the new article descriptionand the other article descriptions that corresponds to a relationshipthat already exists between the located article similar/equivalentdescriptions and the other article descriptions. The copying of theidentified relationships can be performed in an automated manner, i.e.,without human intervention or approval of the emulation at the time ofemulation.

If needed, the remainder of the information available on theelectronically-accessible tag mounted to the new article can be read ata later time and used to establish additional relationships between the“new” article description and other article descriptions. However, byestablishing at least some relationships after only a relatively smallamount of data has been read from the tag and transferred to the dataprocessing system performing method 800, the temporary system can bestructured rapidly.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 show one example of how method 800 (FIG. 8)introduces an object 905 describing a new, tagged article intoconstruction crew 100 (FIG. 1). In particular, as shown in FIG. 9, thedata processing system performing method 800 receives an interrogationtrigger and identification information identifying the new article asGUID “53856.” The system creates data object 905 that describes the newarticle. Data object 905 can be created within system relationship 493that describes that data object 905 is included in construction crew100.

As shown in FIG. 10, the data processing system can also receive adescription of the category of the new article, namely that the newarticle belongs to category “Alpha forklift.” Such category informationcan act as similarity information for use in establishing one or moreequivalency relationships and similarity relationships with otherarticles in construction crew 100. For example, the category informationcan be used to establish equivalency relationship 1005 that indicatesthat the forklift described by data object 905 is operationallyequivalent to the forklift described by forklift object 418. As anotherexample, the category information can be used to establish similarityrelationship 1010 that indicates that the forklift described by dataobject 905 is operationally similar to the forklift described byforklift object 421.

As shown in FIG. 11, the data processing system can also identify andemulate relationships that exist between article descriptions 418, 421and other article descriptions in the temporary system. For example, thedata processing system can identify relationships 484, which indicatethat the forklifts described by forklift objects 418, 421 can operatejointly with the portions of pipe described by pipe objects 424, 427,430, 433, as capable of being emulated. The data processing system canthen establish relationships 1105, 1110, 1115, 1120 that emulaterelationships 484. The establishment of relationships 1105, 1110, 1115,1120 can be automated, i.e., can occur without human intervention orapproval at the time of establishment.

The invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Theinvention can be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., acomputer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in amachine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for executionby, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computerprogram can be written in any form of programming language, includingcompiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form,including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. Acomputer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or onmultiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

Method steps of the invention can be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions of the invention by operating on input data and generatingoutput. Method steps can also be performed by, and apparatus of theinvention can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g.,an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specificintegrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carrierssuitable for embodying computer program instructions and data includeall forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor andthe memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in special purposelogic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the invention can be implementedon a computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube)or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information tothe user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or atrackball by which the user can provide input to the computer. Otherkinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user aswell; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form ofsensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactilefeedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, includingacoustic, speech, or tactile input.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, a portion of the information accessible from the tag can beencoded in a non-public format to prevent the operator of a temporarysystem from gaining access to it. Accordingly, other embodiments arewithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A method for structuring a system, comprising: receiving, at a dataprocessing device, information characterizing a first article as havinga first characteristic, wherein the information is received byinterrogating a tag associated with the first article using aninterrogation device; accessing a machine-readable description of asystem of articles, the system description comprising a collection ofdata objects, each data object representing an article in the system,and a collection of descriptions of relationships between the articlesin the system; the data processing device identifying a firstrelationship between a second article and a third article in the systemof articles, wherein: the second and the third article are representedby second and third data objects in the collection of data objects, thesecond data object characterizes the second article as having the firstcharacteristic, and the first relationship characterizes one or more ofa chemical interaction, an operational compatibility, and an electricalcompatibility between the second article and the third article;establishing a second relationship between the first article and thethird article, the second relationship emulating the one or more of thechemical interaction, the operational compatibility, and the electricalcompatibility between the second article and the third article, whereinestablishing the second relationship comprises the data processingdevice writing the second relationship into the machine-readabledescription of a system of articles; the data processing deviceidentifying a third relationship between a fourth article and a fiftharticle in the system of articles, wherein: the fourth and the fiftharticle are represented by fourth and fifth data objects in thecollection, the fourth data object characterizes the fourth article ashaving the first characteristic, the third relationship characterizesone or more of a chemical interaction, an operational compatibility, andan electrical compatibility between the fourth article and the fiftharticle; and establishing a fourth relationship between the firstarticle and the fifth article, the fourth relationship emulating the oneor more of the chemical interaction, the operational compatibility, andthe electrical compatibility between the fourth article and the fiftharticle, wherein establishing the fourth relationship comprises the dataprocessing device writing the fourth relationship into themachine-readable description of a system of articles.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising identifying the second data object in thecollection of data objects based on the first characteristic of thefirst article and based on a second characteristic of the first article.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first characteristic is a categoryof the first article.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstcharacteristic is a functional characteristic of the first article. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a new first dataobject representing the first article.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising adding the first data object to the collection of dataobjects in the system description.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst characteristic comprises information describing at least one of amake or a model of the first article.
 8. A computer program product,tangibly embodied in one or more machine-readable data storage devices,for structuring a system, the computer program product being operable tocause one or more data processing apparatuses to perform operations, theoperations comprising: receiving information describing a firstcharacteristic of a first article from a tag associated with the firstarticle; accessing a machine-readable description of a system ofarticles, the system description comprising a collection of descriptionsthat each describes articles in the system, and a collection of chemicalinteraction descriptions that each describe a chemical interactionbetween at least two articles in the system; creating a new firstdescription to represent the first article; identifying a seconddescription in the collection of descriptions, wherein the seconddescription describes a second article in the system; establishing afirst chemical interaction description that describes a first chemicalinteraction involving the first article based on the second articlesharing the first characteristic; identifying a third description in thecollection of descriptions, wherein the third description describes athird article in the system; establishing a second chemical interactiondescription that describes a second chemical interaction involving thefirst article based on the third article sharing the firstcharacteristic.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein theoperations further comprise establishing that the first article is newto the system of articles based on the information received from thetag.
 10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the operationsfurther comprise populating the first description with informationreceived from the tag.
 11. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the first characteristic and the second characteristic aredescribed in a description of a category of the first article.
 12. Thecomputer program product of claim 8, wherein the operations furthercomprise deploying the first article and other articles in the systemwithout retrieving information regarding the first article from aseparate database.
 13. The computer program product of claim 8, whereinthe descriptions that describe articles comprise data objects thatrepresent articles.
 14. The computer program product of claim 8, furthercomprising: identifying a fourth description in the collection ofdescriptions, wherein the fourth description describes a fourth articlein the system; establishing an operational compatibility relationshipdescription that describes operational compatibility of the firstarticle based on the fourth article sharing the first characteristic.15. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:identifying a fourth description in the collection of descriptions,wherein the fourth description describes a fourth article in the system;establishing a relationship indicating that the first article is aworkpiece of the fourth article based on the fourth description.
 16. Amethod for operating a system comprising a collection of tangiblearticles each tagged with a machine-readable tag, the machine-readabletags storing machine-readable identification information, themachine-readable identification information identifying the taggedtangible articles, an interrogation device configured to readmachine-readable tags, and a data storage device storing a collection ofdata objects, the data objects representing the tangible articles anddescribing characteristics of the tangible articles and relationshipsbetween the tangible articles, the method comprising: interrogating afirst tangible article using the interrogation device, the interrogationyielding information characterizing a first characteristic of the firsttangible article; identifying, in the collection, a data objectrepresenting a second tangible article, the data object describing thatthe second tangible article has the first characteristic and arelationship with a third tangible article in the collection;identifying, in the collection, a data object representing a fourthtangible article, the data object describing that the fourth tangiblearticle has the first characteristic and a relationship with a fifthtangible article in the collection; adding a new data object to thecollection of data objects to represent the first tangible article, thenew data object describing relationships between the new data object andthe third tangible article and the fifth tangible article.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the first characteristic comprises acategory of the first tangible article.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein adding the new data object to the collection comprises addingthe new data object to describe that the first tangible articleinteracts chemically with the third tangible article.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein adding the new data object to the collection comprisesadding the new data object to describe that the first tangible articleis operationally compatible with the third tangible article.
 20. Themethod of claim 16, wherein adding the new data object to the collectioncomprises adding the new data object to describe that the first tangiblearticle interacts mechanically with the third tangible article.